I Know You
by FadingIntoYou
Summary: Everyone wants something. Nico knows wanting things end in disappointment, and yet, he still wants Dani. He opens up to her like no other, how does she prove him wrong? How does she prove that he can count on her...


This story HAD to be written! I love it, I really do. I've been having writer's block on my other story's endings, so this was a nice change. I think you'll enjoy it, I sure as hell did writing it. Review, enjoy, or send me ides for one shots or something, they seem to be my thing lately.

On to the entertainment...

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><p>The wine was smooth, the lights were dim, and she was possibly somewhere in here. While he was accustomed to knowing everything about everything and everyone, even he took time out of his day to regroup. Tuesday nights were those times, but ever since last week, the idea of coming in here was almost overwhelmingly appealing. He knew sitting in on Dr. Santino's date wasn't what most would consider 'polite', but he wasn't most people. He half expected her to try and jump out from behind a plant just to get the upper hand. It would have never worked.<p>

"I'm not sure whether to be mad at you, or if I should thank you"

Dani's voice came out of nowhere, but it finally placed the feeling that he was being watched tonight. He'd felt someone around, specifically hoping it was her, but it didn't make him worried so he brushed it off, and that was exactly what she was hoping for.

"Considering I'm eating dinner alone, I'd claim I'm innocent this one instance" he replied smirking, knowing there was something she had to say, but he'd wait it out, wait her out. She always broke first; it was almost like a tradition.

"Innocent? It's a crime for you to even say the word" she scoffed, leaning against the opposite booth at his table. He took in her slouching figure, still provocative in a sinfully tight burgundy cocktail dress, with a one shoulder strap that left her other shoulder bare. He motioned for her to sit, while simultaneously signaling the waiter for more wine. She was a long winded individual; this conversation needed something to move it along.

"Are you trying to determine if I'm a regular, or are you now tailing me?"

"Oh I believed you, especially after you said you don't lie. I'm sorry about by the way. The whole tailing thing, we'll get back to that in a second" she said, thanking the waitress for the wine glass that was set in front of her. She swirled the wine around in her glass absently as she decline his offer for a meal.

"I'm ok, I've already eaten. If I am hungry though, I'll just steal your food" he raised an eyebrow at her as she shrugged.

"What makes you think I'll share?"

"You will, you're too much of a gentleman to let me starve if I'm actually hungry" she replies flippantly before sipping her wine, and Nico just continues to look at her in veiled amazement. He knew there was a confidence there, but it always seemed subdued when they were alone, which isn't often either.

"Thank you I think. Any other reason you decided to join me tonight?"

She fiddles with the stem of her wine glass as her eyes glaze over. Emotions pass over her face to quickly to catch, but the few he did recognize were embarrassment and joy. And odd combination to say the least, but he'd let her explain that to him when she was ready.

"Last week, _before_ you joined JD and I" she starts pointedly as he ducks to take another bite of his pasta, "he asked if you were a stalker"

"I thought he was an intelligent man" Nico remarked before he could sensor himself. He made to apologize but was mesmerized by her laugh. It was low and sexy, and he was curious as to when it started to sound that alluring.

"He is, but the only thing I could come up with was that you were Nico. I thought he'd forgotten that, but he brought it up at lunch earlier"

"Ah, so you did eat…" he looks at his watch, "some five hours ago"

She smiles sheepishly as she leans across the table to grab a breadstick from his extra plate when he stops her with a hand on her arm. She looks at him puzzled, but realizes that he only stopped to put a portion of his pasta on said plate and slide it towards her. She glanced up at him with thanks, but all he did was continue to eat, waiting for her actual point.

"He asked if there was something there"

"Something where? I would have thought he'd be more precise in his observations"

"He thought there was something going on between us, and that's why you joined us. I disagreed, but couldn't come up with a good rebuttal"

"Why not tell him the truth?"

"I did! The first time, but then he went on about animal behavior and humans-"

"Bestiality? That can be a mood killer; I can understand why nothing was getting though to him"

"Ew Nico, no! He just said that there either was something or there would be"

"Now he's psychic, I think this is something you deal with more in your line of work. People's emotional and psychological problems and all"

She tilted her head back in frustration at my incessant teasing, but the column of her throat was intensely distracting. He wondered if her skin was as soft as it looked, especially the spot right underneath her ear…

"Nico? Hello, anyone there?" she said waving her hand in his face. He'd gotten so lost in her skin that he didn't realize when she looked at him again. She'd noticed his hungry gaze, but that wasn't something she was going to touch. That was something he'd have to say aloud.

"JD does not have problems like that, he was just jealous"

"Sounds like a personal problem then"

"Nico…" she said warningly, only being met with a raised eyebrow in return.

"What, would you rather I agree or disagree with his observation? Let's take a look at the evidence"

"What evidence?" she asked puzzled.

"Exactly. He has nothing to support his theory other than a wounded ego. Why he decided to set his sights on me rather than Matt is beyond me…"

"He's never met Matt. Well, not really. He talked with you"

He just sat back and stared at her, watching the way she watched him. Sure he found her attractive, that wasn't the question, but to be so blunt about a topic like this wasn't her nature. She usually shied away from them or stumbled into them like a bull in a china shop, though much prettier.

"Do you think he's onto something? I thought he was considering staying in New York"

"How did you…? You know what; I don't really want to know. No, he's leaving tonight actually, he just wanted to say goodbye"

"Interesting"

"I do"

He looked at her bizarrely, wondering what it was she seemed to be agreeing to. She sat there with her empty plate drinking her wine, never letting her gaze waver from him. She seemed to urge him with her eyes, towards what he had no idea. When their staring contest got to be too much for her, she sighed and made to get up. They'd both finished eating a while ago, and nothing was keeping her here with him other than her own questions.

"Leaving so soon Dr?"

"I don't really know why I even came here in the first place Nico"

"You said you weren't sure whether to be mad at me or thank me. Let's start there".

"I was irritated with the fact that I had to defend my professional relationship to my boyfriend for one. It was as if he saw something I didn't. But I also wanted to thank you…" she broke off as sipped at her wine again, him knowing that he couldn't let her drive herself home.

"I wanted to thank you for telling JD that I was, and I quote, 'an impact player'. It seemed to make him realize that I couldn't just pick up and leave with him-"

"He asked you to leave with him?" he asked, feigning nonchalance that Dani saw right through.

"Yeah, but I told him I had to be here for the kids, for my patients, for the Hawks"

"I'm sure they'd let you go if you felt that was the right move"

"That's just it, it wasn't right for me. I have too much tying me to New York, more than just my kids even though they are the main reason. My life's here, my friends, the people I care about…"

"Sometimes we never really know what we have until it's gone"

"I don't want to have the people I care for most gone because I decided to leave the country. I have finally gotten into a rhythm, life is good again; I wouldnt trade that for the world"

"Didn't he understand the first time you said that?"

"Not exactly. It was after the whole you're a 'stalker' thing. He thought I was just trying to let him down gently"

"You were"

"No, I wasn't. If I were to date you, I wouldn't be with anyone else; it isn't fair to me or him. I have more respect for myself and others than that"

"I don't doubt that. But sometimes the heart wants what it wants"

"And what does your heart want Nico? I'm tired of people thinking that I constantly have other motives for just being nice. What is it you want Nico"

"Honestly, I don't know"

"What? Nico Careles doesn't know what he wants? I think I need to note the date and time, have a pen?"

"Very funny. I learned a long time ago that wanting things led to disappointment"

"Then how did you get through things when it seemed like there _was_ nothing to look forward to?"

"I remembered that I didn't have a choice. I wasn't going to fail at anything that much I knew"

"Haven't you ever just been blindsided by wanting something or someone? You can't possibly be immune to everything all the time. The last time you wanted a woman and weren't able to stop it, how did you deal with it?" she asked innocently, generally interested in his response. He wasn't willing to answer this honestly, but lying would just put them back to where they began before tonight.

"I'll let you know when I figure out a way to stop wanting her" he said over his wine glass, this time him being the one to fiddle with the glass. It gave him something else to focus on that wasn't primarily the way her breath hitched or how wide her eyes got. Nope, wasn't focused on her at all.

He cleared his throat as he stood, gathering his jacket from the back of his chair. Dani followed, but was still preoccupied with this new information.

"I didn't see your car in the parking lot, and you're in no condition to drive. I'll give you a ride"

As they left the restaurant, the wind from outside hit them full force and it made Dani shiver. Nico took his coat and instructed her to put her arms into it, stating that a healthy therapist was a happy therapist. They continued to his car, him opening and shutting her door before getting in and driving off. The car was warm and it prompted her to take off his jacket, revealing her dress to him once again. It still amazed him that she wasn't aware of just how enticing she looked, but then halted that train of thought as she started to grab something.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I know I'm looking at your iPod. You actually own an iPod; I did not see that coming. Let's see what we have here…"

He sighed as he focused on the road, hearing her make little to no noise as she ran through the artists. She asked if she could play a particular song, even if it would only be about half way through by the time they arrived at her house. The opening notes of Nat King Cole's "I Love You (For Sentimental Reasons)" flowed through the speakers as they got a few blocks from her home, Nico knowing the song well. It was a song he remembered his mother and father dancing to in their living room when they thought he'd gone to sleep. He'd watch from the top steps and imagine what it'd be like to find someone that he loved the way his parents loved each other. This song held memories and those wants Dani had spoken about earlier. He parked and It was deathly still in the car.

"Nico" she whispered, "Are you ok?" she asked in a small voice. He didn't understand why there was a sudden change in her tone until he felt the warm pad of her thumb run under his eyes while they sat in park in her driveway. He hadn't even realized his vision had gotten blurry since he parked; that almost never happened to him anymore. The fact that tears had made their way down his face didn't help the situation any.

"This was the song my parents dance to at their wedding. It was something they dance to when they thought I was asleep"

"Oh Nico…"

"When you asked if I'd ever wanted something, I always wanted a love like my parents Dani"

"There's nothing wrong with that"

"When you realize you can't have something, you move on. I couldn't move on from this though, it's all I have left"

They sat under the light of the streetlights, listening to the song come to a close. As it ended, Nico started to get out of the car to open her door. She quickly pressed the replay button and turned his stereo up louder as he came around to her. He looked at her in confusion as she took off his coat and left her purse on his front seat.

"Mr. Careles, will you do me the honor of dancing with me?"

Nico could honestly say that he didn't know what to do. He knew he'd enjoy dancing with Dani, but there was a boundary that shouldn't be crossed. He knew what he shouldn't be doing, and dancing with the team's therapist at eleven o'clock at night in her driveway is definitely one of them. Despite his brain screaming at him to act rationally, he shook his head.

"Forgive me Doctor Santino, may I have this dance?" he said, bowing slightly out of respect for her. She was impressed with his manners, and took his outstretched hand as he led her into his embrace. He took her left hand in his right, placing it on the top of his shoulder, while his left hand found her waist, her right hand resting on the other shoulder as his other hand came to rest at the curve of her hip. They swayed to the music, making small circles as the song came to a close, changing to a slightly more alternative song she wasn't familiar with. Her hands slid up to rest gently behind his neck as her head came to rest under his chin. She felt rather than heard him breathe the words, the sounds vibrating through her more than the actual music.

_I know you too well_

_to say you're perfect but you'll see_

_Oh my sweet love, you're perfect for me_

She felt him kiss the top of her head as he continued to breathe the words into her hair, wrapping his arms more securely around her when she sighed contentedly. He started to rub his thumbs in circles on her back as they swayed, relaxing her under his touch and forgetting about the cold air that surrounded them. Nico was warmer than his coat, so as long as he held her, she didn't see the need to move away. As this song drew to a close, he carefully let her go so she could lean back against the passenger side where the door was still open.

"Who knew you could dance, I'm pleasantly surprised"

"It's all in the dance partner Dr. Santino, you're the best I've ever had"

"Now's not the time to lie to me Nico" she teased lightly, brushing his arm to let him know she didn't mean it.

"I'm not; I haven't ever enjoyed myself dancing as I have tonight"

"What a coincidence" she replied as she broke the spell and leaned inside the car to grab her purse. As she came out, she came face to face with Nico, much closer than either of them had anticipated.

"You have a lot of explaining to do"

"What?"

"We're being watched" he whispered as he moves a stray hair out of her face and behind her ear. She shivered as he let his finger trail down her cheek. She sighed as she turned her head just in time to see Lindsey and Ray Jay shutting the curtain.

"How long have you known?"

"About a minute and a half; I was a little distracted"

"Nice to know I wasn't the only one"

"You'd better get inside, they'll be waiting" he said, wrapping her in a hug that made tears sting her eyes. He held her tight as she hugged him back, whispering a thank you in her ear, for what she wasn't sure, but she'd take it. He pulled back but she held onto him, keeping him close.

"They can wait a few more minutes"

With that, she gently pulled him back into her, this time tenderly pressing her lips to his. He met her with the same amount of pressure, keeping their kiss light as their lips slid along the others. As the kisses increased slightly in intensity, Nico smoothly licked her bottom lip, bringing it into his mouth to bite it lightly as she gently pulled away. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he backed away, giving her a smile. She smile radiantly back at him, stepping closer to wipe a smudge of lipstick she'd gotten on his lips. He licked her finger as she ran it under his lower lip, her eyes darkening this time.

"Go, we have the rest of our lives" he said, shutting her door for her as she made her way up the path.

"I'm holding you to that Nico"

"I don't lie, I thought you knew that about me?" he echoed back his words to her from last week.

"I do; I know you Nico"

He was relieved to say that he agreed.

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><p>Songs are obviously Nat Kind Cole's "I Love You (For Sentimental Reasons) and Ron Pope's "Perfect For Me" for those that care.<p> 


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